How to Make a Room Brighter with Design Tricks

Have you ever wondered how to make a room brighter? Whether you’re dealing with a dark and dingy part of the house or a room that just needs that extra sunlit touch, there are some easy tips to help you out.

A light and airy space can appear a lot larger, making your home feel more comfortable and inviting. According to experts, clutter can cause anxiety by raising the stress hormone, cortisol – and that’s why sense of space is such an important factor. Not only will these design tricks help you learn how to make a dark room brighter, but you’ll benefit from the illusion of added square footage too.

Tip #1 – Learn how to make a room brighter with colour

One of the easiest ways to distribute light around the room is to opt for light colours on your walls. This means you’ll be able to enjoy brighter interiors during the day as well as in the evenings.

Mural in photo: Light Teal Green Marble

Right now, we’re loving the teal trend that has taken the design world by storm. Generally, colder hues like delicate blues and soft greens are a great idea for dark areas that need lifting. Teal wallpaper trends add a cool, tranquil vibe and maximise a sense of space in awkwardly shaped rooms such as converted lofts.

Our stunning Light Teal Green Marble mural is just one of the many marble wallpaper designs available at Wallsauce that has the ability to bring modernity, elegance and calm to your home.

Tip #2 – Beware of the gallery wall

One mistake that many homeowners make is embracing the gallery wall trend in a room that’s too dark. It’s often the case that the room already feels quite cramped due to the lack of natural light hitting it and overdoing framed art just exacerbates the issue.

Mural in photo: Landscape Wallpaper

For something a bit more chic, why not take a look at our fabulous  oriental wallpapers? These are brilliant works of art that add a unique touch. Many feature plenty of white space to reflect light around the house for a sunlit appearance.

If you love wall art, try a luxury wall mural instead. Our designer wallpaper collection or our artistic  Bridgeman fine art library are good places to begin your search. You’ll find everything from famous classics to modern graphics and patterns to bring your home to life.

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If you do insist on the popular gallery wall (we get it, we love them too!) choose white frames rather than dark wood. For any walls where you want to draw attention, make sure there’s a natural light source nearby and add wall sconces to flood the wall with artificial light at night.

Tip #3 – Know that white isn’t always right

If you want to master how to make a dark room brighter with paint and wallpaper colours, the answer isn’t always white. This is the go-to colour for so many people. But there a number of considerations to know before you get painting or wallpapering!

For instance, do you get south-facing light or north-facing light? What colour is your furniture? What are the dominating colours outside your window? North-facing rooms receive a much cooler tone from the sun and may require a warmer tone of wallpaper to balance it out. If you paint your entire room bright-white, any coloured furniture may get reflected, essentially creating a light filter.

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Similarly, colours outside your window (such as a lush green lawn or a red post box) can also cause a tinge to your walls. That’s one of the risks of choosing pure brilliant white. The other is that your room remains greyish-looking due to insufficient lighting and the stark appearance ends up resembling a hospital.

To warm things up, choose yellow-based wall murals and colours instead. Play around with neutral shades, use paint testers and source wallpaper samples whenever possible.

Mural in photo: Golden Spring Reflection

This soothing Golden Spring Reflection wallpaper is great for brightening up a bedroom while adding gentle warmth through its pink, purple and gold tones.

Tip #4 – Direct light at your walls

Good lighting is the key to beautiful interiors. If you want to know how to make a dark room look brighter, you first have to check out your options for lighting. Large windows are a big plus, as are high ceilings. You will also want to figure out whether your room is north or south facing. North facing rooms receive less light during the day and the colour of the light differs too.

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This is all vital information if you want to decorate in the most effective way. Good lighting can even impact on a person’s mental health, so it’s important to get this bit right. As for artificial lighting, try to light up the wallpaper as well as having an even layer of overhead LEDs.

By aiming light fittings at walls and ceilings, you can floodlight on surfaces that impact the rest of the room. This will reflect light all around and make the space feel more open. Plus, you’ll be able to highlight gorgeous features such as the botanical prints on this on-trend Hummingbird’s Hedge wall mural by Sir Edward from our designer wallpaper collection.

Mural in photo: Hummingbird’s Hedge

Tip #5 – Take the minimalist approach

Clean, minimalist interiors look like an easy design theme but can be tricky to execute. It’s worth the effort though if you want to transform a dark, dull and lacklustre space. For a living or dining room, it can be extra challenging as these rooms get the most footfall so mess can easily build.

Some top tips include having ample storage. Opt for low-to-the-ground furniture to make ceilings appear taller and using texture to your advantage. Texture will prevent your room from looking flat – which is the opposite of what you’re trying to do when your space is already quite drab.

Mural in photo: Natural Marble

An ornate wallpaper like this gorgeous Natural Marble wallpaper adds interest and intrigue, while still giving you a clean finish. If you want to add colourful décor items, try to follow the same palette as your feature wall. For instance, this wallpaper works particularly well with light oak and wooden floor lamps.

We hope you found our tips on how to make a room brighter useful for your next home design project! If you have a question or want to find out more, simply leave a comment below!